Indholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2025 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

Istanbul straddles two continents—Europe and Asia. More than 15.6 million people call this vibrant, cosmopolitan city in Turkey home. Here are five fun facts to get you started on your journey to this unique city. 1 Byzantium. Constantinople. Stamboul. These place names were used to refer to Istanbul. In 1922, after the end of fighting in World War I, Istanbul was given its modern name and became part of the newly created Republic of Turkey. 2 Sculptures of snake-haired Medusa can be found under the city. They are incorporated into the elaborate Basilica Cistern. This underground water storage facility was built by the order of Emperor Justinian I, who ruled from 527 to 565 C.E. 3 Public steam baths are a tradition that date to ancient Roman times. The Turkish version, called a…

Istanbul was one of the most coveted cities in the world for thousands of years. It was invaded more than 60 times. Its location made it a city that powerful empires wanted to control. Istanbul sits on two continents. The eastern half of the city is located in Asia, and the western half of the city is located in Europe. It is ideally situated for trade between the two continents, and it has easy access to water routes. The Black Sea borders the city to the north, while the Sea of Marmara—a northeast extension of the Mediterranean Sea—borders it to the south. The Bosporus (also spelled Bosphorus) Strait is a narrow waterway that separates the eastern and western parts of Istanbul. Ships traveling from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean…

Puppets usually involve three-dimensional, colorful creations designed to be seen. But Istanbul claims a different form of puppet show. The show uses shadows to entertain audiences. Shadow puppet theater has a long tradition in many parts of the world. In Turkey, the puppets were called “shadow phantoms.” Shadow puppets are flat, two-dimensional figures cut from camel or donkey leather. The thin leather is treated to make it partly transparent. Small perforations and cutouts are made in the figures to create designs and to let light shine through. The leather also is painted to provide details. Shadow puppets have joints, which allow their head, arms, and legs to move. They usually stand between 13 and 16 inches (33 and 41 centimeters) tall. Their movements are controlled by strings connecting their different…

LOCATION: Istanbul is located in northwestern Turkey. It is the largest city in Turkey and that country’s largest seaport. The city famously straddles two continents—Europe and Asia. It was built on seven hills. AREA: 995 square miles (2,577 square kilometers). The greater metropolitan area is 2,063 square miles (5,343 square kilometers). CLIMATE: Warm, humid summers with temperatures that average 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius) and cold, wet winters with temperatures that average about 45°F (about 7°C). Istanbul gets some snow—about 12 inches (30 centimeters) annually. It sees the most snow of cities located on the Mediterranean, but other parts of Turkey experience greater snowfalls. POPULATION: 15.6 million, about 19 percent of Turkey’s population. It is the most populous city in Europe. GOVERNMENT: A mayor and a municipal council HISTORIC…

Below the streets of Istanbul lies a large and famous ancient water storage system. It is called the Basilica Cistern. Its underground home is near Hagia Sophia in the historic Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul. Centuries ago, Istanbul had no natural freshwater sources. The city historically depended on rainwater collection and aqueducts to distribute water. Aqueducts are channels designed to carry water from distant sources. But in the sixth century, far greater quantities of water were required to meet Emperor Justinian I’s ambitious plans for the city’s expansion. He ordered the construction of a series of underground cisterns. Cisterns are large tanks used to catch and store rainwater. Those receptacles were constructed all over the city, which at that time was known as Constantinople. The Basilica Cistern was built below the…

The tradition of public bathhouses dates to the ancient Romans and the third century. Centuries before indoor plumbing was invented, ancient Romans used public bathhouses as places both to get clean and to socialize. A Roman bath consisted of different rooms—from pools to steam rooms—with a variety of water temperatures—from hot to cold. Bathers moved from one room to the next, allowing them time to exercise, get clean, relax, and socialize. In the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks combined the Roman bathing traditions with their religious concerns for cleanliness as well as the need to conserve water by bathing communally. The Turkish version of a bathhouse, called a hammam, was a combination of a sauna, a place to get clean, and a gathering place for friends. Hammams have long been…

Istanbul’s history with coffee dates to the late 1400s, but its love affair with the beverage took root in the mid-1500s. That’s when Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent reigned. He developed such a strong affection for coffee that he appointed a chief coffeemaker to his palace staff. That person ensured that the sultan received the perfect cup of kahve, or Turkish coffee. He first roasted coffee beans to perfection over an open fire and then finely ground the beans. He combined the ground coffee with water and slowly brewed the mixture over the ashes of a charcoal fire. After the sultan served coffee to palace guests, it wasn’t long before the beverage became widely consumed. The First Coffeehouse Two Arab merchants have been credited with opening a coffeehouse in one of…

The Grand Bazaar Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is the oldest and largest covered market in the world. Construction began in 1461, shortly after the conquest of the city by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The original simple market included two bedestens (covered markets or halls) in the design of a mosque with high vaulted ceilings. It soon became a major commercial hub.…